Navigational Conversations Is a Powerful Forum for Developing Coaching Skills In Organizational Leaders

An Overview of How It Works

During the workshop, participants learn to incorporate the coach approach into leadership conversations. There are three important elements to understand about the program structure and style:

There are two full days of learning.

The workshop can be done as two consecutive days, or can be broken into two single days, or four half-day modules.

The learning is experiential, with participants practicing the skills to master them.

Day One, Module One:
Understanding The Basic Principles Of the Coach Approach

Module One provides an introduction to Navigational Conversations. Participants learn the coaching mindset, and The Navigational Conversations principles. Following are the key components of this module:

Making a Connection, Focusing on Strengths, and Having a Plan for the Conversation

The most important thing that I learned through this assignment is that if the person isn’t at ease in the conversation with you, you won’t get very far.

The opening exercise demonstrates three things that make for an effective interaction. The first is the importance of making a connection with another person. The second is the value of focusing on strengths and positive experiences. The third is the power and confidence generated by having a clear idea what is to be accomplished in an interaction. These three elements together guarantee a more effective leadership conversation.

Understanding the Five Functions of Coaching

There are five basic items on the coaching menu. These items comprise the job description of the coach. In this section participants are introduced to the metaphor of navigation as a way of understanding and remembering what it is they are trying to achieve through using a coach approach.

Establishing Baseline Skills for Coaching in the Workplace

We all like to think our leadership skills are impeccable. However, it’s valuable to recognize where we need to improve. During this benchmarking practice, inevitably there are laughs of recognition as each participant realizes they have some kind of behavioral gap to address.

This section features an in-depth exploration of the Six Navigational Conversations Principles. These six principles define the nature of the coaching interaction and are more important than any coaching technique. A leader who is grounded in these principles can carry on a successful coaching interaction even if inexperienced. A leader who does not understand these principles will always have difficulties with coaching.

Coaching depends on a trusting and collaborative relationship. There needs to be sufficient trust in the relationship so that there is a willingness to collaborate in the process. It is not possible to coach someone against their will.

Coaching focuses on the coachee’s agenda. In order to coach someone on a piece of organizational agenda, it is important to first enroll the person in the agenda so that they make it their own. Alignment of agenda is an important leadership skill.

Coaching is based on a peer-to-peer form of interaction. By engaging as a collaborative partner in an exploration for answers, the message becomes one of equality.

Coaching works best when people find their own answers. The more engaged the coachee is in finding the solution, the more buy-in and the greater chance of success.

In coaching, the coachee does the work. The work referred to includes not just what is done after the coaching session, but the work in the coaching session itself. If the coach is doing all the talking in the conversation and walks away with all the work to do afterwards, it’s probably not a coaching interaction.

Coaching leads to action. Coaching gets people into action; it’s all about moving the coachee forward.

Shifting to a Coaching Mindset

The biggest lesson I am taking from this exercise is the transformative power of helping people approach their problems from a different perspective, dropping assumptions and focusing on positive outcomes.

Coaching skills aren’t enough—there must be the right mindset. In an enlightening exercise, participants explore the differences between a “problem-solving” mindset and a coaching mindset. Understanding the advantages and disadvantages of problem-solving brings participants to an important leadership fork in the road. A revealing self-assessment helps them see where they stand.

Deciding Who To Coach—Where to Invest Coaching Efforts for Maximum Results

This section considers the question, “Who should we be investing in with our coaching efforts?” A significant question leaders confront during the workshop is where they will target their coaching time. Many organizations make the mistake of focusing the need for coaching almost exclusively on poor performers. Poor performers are often the most challenging to engage, and the least receptive to coaching.

Often those who would give the greatest return on coaching—high performers—are ignored. The high performers may be ignored because they are not a “problem”. The irony is that high performers are typically the most receptive to coaching and the most interested in taking their performance to the next level. Think of sports; high performing athletes are the ones who are most likely to work with coaches. This doesn’t mean to ignore poor performers; it means to stop ignoring high performers.

Coaching Conversations Have a Specific Structure That Makes Them Successful

Navigational Conversations teaches a specific structure for the coaching conversation. The coach is responsible for managing the flow of the interaction. The coaching conversation model virtually ensures a successful and fruitful execution.

Clarify the agenda. Establish the focus for the conversation, the goal for the topic under discussion, and, given the time available, the outcome needed from the conversation.

Draw ideas from the coachee on how to close the gap (between where they are and where they want to be). Ask open, probing questions of the coachee to develop their problem-solving skills.

Decide on a plan. Given the various ideas that have been explored, choose the best course of action.

Make sure the plan is workable. Anticipate obstacles that might impede the plan, and draw solutions from the coachee. Talk about needed resources.

Summarize and confirm. Make sure there is a common understanding of what is going to happen, based on the coaching conversation. Listen for commitment, buy-in, energy and emotion. Address doubts and fears.

The Art of Listening: the Premier Coaching Skill

I had to overcome my tendency to fill those long pauses with more questions or conversation. I realize now that my “chatter” only causes him to be distracted and not finish his mental thought process. So in retrospect, I was causing conversations to drag because I was the one who wasn’t silent.

The best coaching involves “being present” in our listening. This means that we are truly available for the other person. We are not planning ahead for our response or internally debating the points raised. We are simply quiet and present. We remain other-focused, undistracted by any internal monologue. At this level of receptivity, we notice many things that we might otherwise miss. Our response to the speaker arises naturally, at an appropriate moment, without being pre-planned. This level of listening adds depth to coaching.

The Art of the Question: the Key to Unlocking New Ideas

Most of us are great at telling others what to do. The best way to develop others though is to elicit from them their own best answers, and to help them flesh out their ideas. Questions are the best way to stimulate thinking and increase engagement. When people find their own answers there is greater buy-in and commitment to action. This workshop puts participants through lively, fun exercises that demonstrate “artful” questioning.

Day Two, Module Three:
Advancing The Art Of The Question and the Deepening the Coaching Conversation Model

Module Three begins with a review of the fundamentals from Day One (Modules One and Two). The Art of the Question and the Coaching Model are explored in more depth, and there is large group practice to integrate the various skills.

The Art of the Question, Part 2: Having a Clear Intention When Asking a Question

The power of the process comes from understanding the three main intentions for asking coaching questions. Through a stronger awareness of the intention behind a question, participants learn to sharpen their questioning techniques and improve their “aim” in the coaching process. We also cover another underlying structure in a coaching conversation—the different types of intentions progress as you move through the steps of the model.

The Coaching Gap: Clarifying the Reason for the Coaching Conversation

Clearly defining the Gap sets up a successful coaching interaction. Through a deeper exploration of the first step of the coaching model—and practice—participants learn to build a solid foundation for the coaching conversation.

Integrating Skills: Demonstrating the Model

Weaving together questioning skills with the coaching model leads to greater competence with both. Through large group practice, participants sharpen their skills and witness the process in action. The coaching model begins to make sense in a deeper way.

Day Two, Module Four:
Mastering the Art of Telling, Including Feedback Conversations

Module Four explores three forms of the Art of Telling in coaching. The first two forms involve providing feedback to the coachee and the third form includes sharing stories, wisdom, and suggestions.

Providing Positive Feedback: Understanding the Power and Importance of Recognition

Most leaders are not as good at providing positive feedback as they think they are. Participants learn the key guiding principles of effective positive feedback and practice a model for structuring the feedback.

Providing Corrective Feedback: Using Course Correction as a Springboard to Coaching

The tone, the positive feedback, the clarifying of the issue, and letting them come up with solutions and timelines made them cooperative and feel like part of the team.

Corrective feedback conversations can lead to important coaching conversations. Participants learn and practice a powerful five-step feedback model that helps them present corrective feedback in a way that is easy for the recipient to hear and accept. Through video examples and practice they then learn how to use the feedback conversation as a way to initiate a coaching conversation.

Providing Perspective: Knowing How to Share Wisdom Wisely

There is a time for the coach to share ideas, information, opinions, suggestions, and experience. Knowing when and how is the final link in the Art of Telling. Participants examine three forms of providing perspective: informing, sharing personal experience or advice, and requesting

Here’s What You Get

Navigational Conversations is robustly built to work for all kinds of learners and a variety of skill levels. We immerse participants in the coaching experience and provide tools to use after the workshop. Here’s what’s included in Navigational Conversations:

The core of the workshop consists of practice sessions where the participants apply key principles and skills, and receive feedback on their efforts.

Each module includes practice of the material and self-assessment, with an overall progress assessment and action plan at the end.

Module One incorporates the use of one video segment (The Coaching Mindset).

Module Two features one video segment (The 5 Step Model) and one job aid (the Coaching Model Card).

Module Four incorporates the use of one two-sided 5”x 7” job aid (Feedback Model Card) and one video segment (Integrating Feedback into the Coaching Model).

At the conclusion of Day Two, participants receive an additional job aid (Navigational Conversations At A Glance) that summarizes the key concepts from Day One and Two.

Support materials for the program include a 97-page workbook.

Each participant receives a Certificate of Completion

Bonuses…

Three videos:

The Coaching Mindset (4:12)— emphasizes the stance of the coaching leader, which is to develop the coachee’s ability to solve their own problems rather than provide solutions for them.

The 5-Step Navigational Conversations Model (8:38)— demonstrates a structure for efficiently managing a coaching conversation. Using this model helps reduce the amount of time involved in moving a conversation towards solution and action.

Integrating Feedback (10:32)— demonstrates how to offer corrective feedback in a way that minimizes resistance and maximizes the likelihood that the feedback will be received positively. When corrective feedback is presented effectively it can initiate a coaching conversation.